Have you found your weapon of choice?

I'd like to hear what other TW members use in regards to their racquet, string, and string tension. Moreover, do you feel you have the right tool to completely optimize your game? Please share your feedback here and participate in the poll if you care.

I'd like to hear what other TW members use in regards to their racquet, string, and string tension. Moreover, do you feel you have the right tool to completely optimize your game? Please share your feedback here and participate in the poll if you care.

I submitted a post on the Prince Exo3 Graphite a short while back. I have to use Prince racquets due to my academies deal with them. I have since found that I can't stand the weight distribution of that racquet and have gone to the original Prince Graphite Oversize which is still one of the best racquets out there. No arm issues, no stability issues, quite powerful, and very predictable and spin friendly. I use it at around 62 lbs. with Prince Twisted string (it's free). NOt a bad setup at all. I am about to go out on a limb and endorse a company that used to sponsor me and I wish I could still use their racquets..........

Volkl makes one of the finest racquets in the world. Bar none. They don't use much money in pro players and that is why they don't have many players using their racquets anymore. They don't pay them. They are by far the most arm friendly racquets on the market and they have tons of feel and are super when it comes to spin and predictability. Best topspin racquets out there. Read up on them on Tennis Warehouse. The issue some may have with them is the handle is shaped like that of a Head racquet. Rectangular. Otherwise, those racquets are GOLD!!!!!! (I am not endorsed by them anymore, these racquets really feel that good.)

Interesting...
After reading your post about the PrinceExo3, I was going to write something about my experiences with the Prince rackets. Longtime user of the ChangOversizeExtendeds, and before that the Precision series, and before that the Graphite. I found the Graphite the best. After demo'ing one last month, still find they're pretty good.
Now last 2 years on Dunlop Mfil200 18x20's at just under 12oz strung with 15 gauge nylon at 55 lbs. Have one Aero200 18x20 at around 12.24oz with the same strings that I use on warm days, when I hyper swing on the lighter rackets. Soft, head light, easy to swing, does all I can do.

I have tried several rackets - including, Babolats Pure Drive and Aeropro Drive, Head Youtek Speed MP and Microgel Instinct, Prince Ozone Tour MP and others - but none of them gave me as much consistency and reliability as the 500 Tour. The Aerogel 200 was also good but a bit heavy for me.

I have tried several strings including, Alu Power Rough, Head Rip Control, Wilson Ultra Synthetic Gut, and Signim Pro Poly Power and a few hybrid stringings. But I now use Signum Pro Fibre Touch 16 at 60 lbs. I do my own stringing.

With this combination of multi filament string and the solid racket, I get great touch and absolutely no wrist or shoulder pain - which I have had with some of the other combinations.

I use the Prince Original Graphite due to the feel and solid ball it hits. It cuts through the air well. Very open string pattern that you can feel grab the ball and the ball sinks deep into the stringbed with this racquet as well. Agassi developed "the forehand" with that racquet, so it obviously can handle heavy hitting and can deliver some good pace on the ball. I have seen noone responding to the Volkl. I don't see where anyone has tried them. I challenge any of you to give those racquets a test drive. Especially if you like feel racquets. Supposedly, the Powerbridge 10 Mid has one of the best reviews from Tennis Warehouse and it's testers of any racquet on the market. It scores around 85 across the board on all shots. That is off the chain for them as their tests are usually littered with racquets scoring only in the 70's on most strokes. The feel from the racquet is off the chart. I love them. You just need to find the right stiffness rating for you when it comes to trying them out. The C9 Pro is supposedly a tremendous hit and I know for a fact that my favorite racquet of ALL time is the Volkl C10 Pro. Hands down. It says something about a racquet when Johnny Mac is winning all of the senior events with the Volkl C10 Pro and at the same time, Felix Mantilla is making it to #10 on the ATP tour around the same time with the same racquet. They have totally different games, but that racquet is/was good enough to perform with any player's game. Every shot was crisp with that racquet and it didn't hurt the arm one bit. The spin potential with that racquet was INSANE!

I use an O3white sometimes and an 03hybrid also sometimes.
The 03white is strung with Prince Lightening XX strings, and 03 Hybrid, Wilson NXT multifilament strings.
I like the Wilson NXT strings a lot, but i don't really use either racquet more.
I followed TK's recommendation and added lead tape to the 03 hybrid to make it heavier, so its more stable, and has more spin, quite flexible. The 03white is stiffer.
My coach wants me to hit flatter, so I'm using the 03white ATM.

I don't think either is my "Weapon of choice" , mainly because I'm not sure what style I like to play.
I'm going to buy my next racquet in September, so maybe by then I'll have something figured out.

@Mal-j You string your own racquets? That must be a lot more work, but I guess its nice to have everything done to your specific needs.

Stringing is quite easy. I bought a second hand drop-weight machine off ebay, watched a few videos on youtube and read the instruction manual that came with the machine. I also picked the brains of a friend of mine who strings and he gave me a few tips. First one took me about two hours but now I can do it in about 40 minutes. I actually enjoy it.
If I went to a stringer it would have cost me a small fortune to try different strings out. I now buy a 200m reel and it works out at about £3 a restring (about $4.75 US). The machine has already paid for itself.

It will be interesting to see which racket Davydenko is going to be playing with now that he has switched to Dunlop.

I use the Prince Original Graphite due to the feel and solid ball it hits. It cuts through the air well. Very open string pattern that you can feel grab the ball and the ball sinks deep into the stringbed with this racquet as well. Agassi developed "the forehand" with that racquet, so it obviously can handle heavy hitting and can deliver some good pace on the ball. I have seen noone responding to the Volkl. I don't see where anyone has tried them. I challenge any of you to give those racquets a test drive. Especially if you like feel racquets. Supposedly, the Powerbridge 10 Mid has one of the best reviews from Tennis Warehouse and it's testers of any racquet on the market. It scores around 85 across the board on all shots. That is off the chain for them as their tests are usually littered with racquets scoring only in the 70's on most strokes. The feel from the racquet is off the chart. I love them. You just need to find the right stiffness rating for you when it comes to trying them out. The C9 Pro is supposedly a tremendous hit and I know for a fact that my favorite racquet of ALL time is the Volkl C10 Pro. Hands down. It says something about a racquet when Johnny Mac is winning all of the senior events with the Volkl C10 Pro and at the same time, Felix Mantilla is making it to #10 on the ATP tour around the same time with the same racquet. They have totally different games, but that racquet is/was good enough to perform with any player's game. Every shot was crisp with that racquet and it didn't hurt the arm one bit. The spin potential with that racquet was INSANE!

I will be demoing racquet in a few months or so. I love the feel racquets, so I will give a Volkl a try. Currently I use Head so the rectangular handle will suit me. Do you think the Volkl C10 would be too much of an 'advanced' racquet for a 3.5?

I will be demoing racquet in a few months or so. I love the feel racquets, so I will give a Volkl a try. Currently I use Head so the rectangular handle will suit me. Do you think the Volkl C10 would be too much of an 'advanced' racquet for a 3.5?

I use a volkl dnx 10 and I am probably a 3.5 at the very best. As long as your ground strokes are consistent (mine are hit and miss) you should be okay, the thing is the best racket I've ever served with which is important because that's my real weapon.

To answer the topic question I would say I like what I'm using, volkl dnx 10 with topspin cyber flash strings, but I'm always willing to try new things. It definitely improved my volleys switching from a Head Microgel Extreme Pro. I can't quite rip a 100 mph forehand with it yet though

I will be demoing racquet in a few months or so. I love the feel racquets, so I will give a Volkl a try. Currently I use Head so the rectangular handle will suit me. Do you think the Volkl C10 would be too much of an 'advanced' racquet for a 3.5?

Give the PowerBridge 9 and the C 10 Pro a try. I think the Powerbridge 9 is probably a better suit, but it won't hurt to try them both. The C 10 Pro is best for whippy strokes (clay court style strokes) and it can be demanding. The feel is top notch though.....

Prince O3 Shark Hybrid Mid strung with MSV Hex at 60 lbs. An outstanding combination of string and racket.
I string my own on a Clipper Mate stringing machine. An excellent, heavy duty, table top machine that does a fantastic job. It has paid for itself many times over.

Prince O3 Shark Hybrid Mid strung with MSV Hex at 60 lbs. An outstanding combination of string and racket.
I string my own on a Clipper Mate stringing machine. An excellent, heavy duty, table top machine that does a fantastic job. It has paid for itself many times over.

i demoed that racquet and loved it! only difference - it was strung with prince synthetic gut at 53 lbs.